A South Australian mother has spoken out about her heartbreaking ordeal after the flu left her young son with permanent brain damage.

She’s now urging families to vaccinate their children, as a new needle-free option called “flu mist” is about to be rolled out.

Three-year-old Clive is undergoing rehabilitation to relearn basic motor and speech skills after contracting influenza B, which he hadn’t been vaccinated against. 

The infection rapidly progressed, causing inflammation in Clive’s brain.

“We got to the hospital, Clive was completely unconscious,” mother Monique Bussenschutt told 9News.

“They ran CT scans, MRIs, and it showed significant changes in Clive’s brain from influenza B.

Despite five days of intensive treatment, medical professionals have indicated that some of the neurological damage is irreversible. 

“He is still in rehab at the moment, just trying to get Clive back to his baseline,” Bussenschutt said.

She is now calling for a widespread flu vaccination program for children. 

Her plea comes as South Australia prepares to roll out a needle-free flu vaccination option, flu mist. 

The nasal spray vaccine is set to be available free of charge to children aged 2-5 from next year.

“The amount of live virus in the vial is sufficient to get up into the nose, you don’t even need to have the child sniff in,” Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier said.

Flu mist will initially be administered exclusively by general practitioners. 

There are plans to extend the program to schools in subsequent years to increase accessibility and vaccination rates among children.